DOPO LE PUBLICAZIONENote Interpreting The "Instruction On Admitting Other Christians To
Eucharistic Communion In The Catholic Church Under Certain Circumstances"

S.P.U.C.

17
October, 1973

1. After the publication of the "Instruction on Admitting Other
Christians to Eucharistic Communion in the Catholic Church" on 1 June 1972,
various interpretations of it were given, some of which depart from the letter
and the spirit of the document. To prevent the spread of such inaccurate
interpretations and their consequences, we think it useful to recall to mind a
few points.

2. With this Instruction, pastoral in character, the Secretariat for
Promotion of the Unity of Christians had no intention of changing the rules laid
down by the Vatican Council's Decree on Ecumenism and further explained by the
Ecumenical Directory (D. 37 and 40). The intention was to explain that the
existing discipline derives from the requirements of the faith and so retains
its full vigor.

3. The basic principles of the Instruction are:

(a) There is an indissoluble link between the mystery of the Church and the
mystery of the Eucharist or between ecclesial and eucharistic communion; the
celebration of the Eucharist of itself signifies the fullness of profession of
faith and ecclesial communion (cf. Instruction, Pt. II, 1, 2, 3)

(b) The Eucharist is for the baptized a spiritual food which enables them to
live with Christ's own life, to be incorporated more profoundly in him and share
more intensely in the whole economy of the Mystery of Christ (cf. Instruction,
(D. 43), Pt. II).

4. Within the full communion of faith, eucharistic communion is the
expression of this full communion and therefore of the unity of the faithful; at
the same time it is the means of maintaining and reinforcing this unity. But
eucharistic communion practiced by those who are not in full ecclesial communion
with each other cannot be the expression of that full unity which the Eucharist
of its nature signifies and which in this case does not exist; for this reason
such communion cannot be regarded as a means to be used to lead to full
ecclesial communion.

5. All the same, both the Ecumenical Directory and the Instruction, on the
strength of what has already been said in the Vatican Council's Decree on
Ecumenism, allow the possibility of exceptions insofar as the Eucharist is
necessary spiritual nourishment for the Christian life.

6. It is the local ordinary's responsibility to examine these exceptional
cases and make concrete decisions. The Instruction (n. 6) recalls that the
Ecumenical Directory gives the episcopal authority power to decide whether in
these rare cases the required conditions are present or not. The episcopal
authority's faculty of examining and deciding is governed by criteria laid down
in the Ecumenical Directory (n. 55) and further explained in the Instruction
(Pt. IV, 2): ". . . admission to Catholic eucharistic communion is confined
to particular cases of those Christians who have a faith in the sacrament in
conformity with that of the Church, who experience a serious spiritual need for
the eucharistic sustenance, who for a prolonged period are unable to have
recourse to a minister of their own community, and who ask for the sacrament of
their own accord all this provided that they have proper dispositions and lead
lives worthy of a Christian."

This criterion is observed if all the required conditions are verified. An
objective, pastorally responsible examination does not allow any of the
conditions to be ignored.

It must also be noted that the Instruction speaks of particular cases, which
are to be examined individually. Hence a general regulation cannot be issued
which makes a category out of an exceptional case, nor is it possible to
legitimize on the basis of <epikeia> by turning this latter into a general
rule.

Nevertheless, the bishop can in the various situations decide what are the
needs that make exceptions applicable, that is to say, what constitutes a
special case, and they can determine the manner of verifying whether all the
required conditions are fulfilled in such a particular case. When particular
cases present themselves fairly often in one region, following a recurrent
pattern, episcopal conferences can issue some guiding principles for
ascertaining that all the conditions are verified in particular cases. Normally
however it will be within the competence of the local ordinary to judge such
cases.

7. For other Christians to be admitted to the Eucharist in the Catholic
Church the Instruction requires that they manifest a faith in the sacrament in
conformity with that of the Catholic Church. This faith is not limited to a mere
affirmation of the "real presence" in the Eucharist, but implies the
doctrine of the Eucharist as taught in the Catholic Church.

8. It is to be noted that the Instruction (Pt. V) calls to mind the fact that
the <Directorium Oecumenicum> (par. 34-54) provides for the Orientals not
in full communion with the Catholic Church rules different from those regarding
other Christians (par. 55-63). For example:

(a) since they belong to a community whose eucharistic faith is in conformity
with that of the Catholic Church, a personal declaration of faith in the
sacrament will not be required of them when they are admitted: in an Orthodox
Christian this faith is taken for granted;

(b) since the Orthodox Churches have true sacraments and, above all, by
virtue of apostolic succession, the priesthood and the Eucharist, concessions
for sacramental communion must take account of legitimate reciprocity (n. 43);

9. The question of reciprocity arises only with these Churches which have
preserved the substance of the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Orders and apostolic
succession. Hence a Catholic cannot ask for the Eucharist except from a minister
who has been validly ordained (<Directorium Oecumenicum>, n. 55).

10. The desire to share the Eucharist fundamentally expresses the desire of
the perfect ecclesial unity of all Christians which Christ willed.
Inter-confessional dialogue on the theology of the Eucharist (as sacrament and
sacrifice), on the theology of ministry and of the Church is pursuing its course
within the ambit of the ecumenical movement, supported by the promises and
prayer of our Lord; it is stimulated and enlivened by the charity, poured into
our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. We express the hope that
the ecumenical movement will lead to a common profession of faith among
Christians, and so allow us to celebrate the Eucharist in ecclesial unity,
giving fulfillment to the words "Because there is one bread, we who are
many are one body" (1 Cor. 10:17).